Forums >Racing>Half Marathon Training - Garmin 5 week long run taper ?
Hello,
I am currently training for a half marathon on October 27. I reviewed several training plans and decided on the Garmin training plan which can be download to my Garmin 310xt. I have enjoyed the plan so far as it bases the training on heart rate zones. I am in week 7 of 16 and my long runs are starting to reach 7 miles. My concern is this program has your last long run on week 11 or 16. That's a 5 week taper which most plans I have seen a 2 weeks.
Here is a link for the plan : http://static.garmincdn.com/shared/emea/custom/training/downloads/running/Half-Marathon-Training-Plan-Beginner-ENGLISH.pdf
The link does not include HR zones but long runs are Zone 2, Steady runs are Zone 3, and intervals are zone 4.
I would like to be under 2:30 for my half if possible. It's my first half, so I'm not really concerned with the time, as I am with the long taper. My current mile is 9:00 and my 5K is right at 30:00.
What do you think of the 5 week taper ???
Thanks
Half Fanatic 12680
Maybe I am reading the plan wrong, but it looks like you have long runs in weeks 15 and 16 with a 10K tune up race in week 14. That should work out fine. Not really seeing a 5 week taper in this plan. That said, I see that it calls for running 3 times a week for a good part of the plan. I would be concerned that the overall plan does not have you running enough miles.
Jersey runner,
thanks for the reply! While the plan does still have long runs during the last few weeks they peak on week 10 & 11. That was my concern as its seems early compared to other plans.
Most beginner plans I have reviewed call for 3 days a week of running. Many of them have no speed work that's why I picked this plan. With that said I either swim or bike one day a week.
Though your longest run is 5 weeks before the race, it's not really a 5-week taper as your total running time doesn't decrease by very much until the week before your race. Raw endurance doesn't decay very quickly. Once you've gone 2h, you can maintain that capacity by running shorter long runs for a few weeks. If you feel the plan is too easy, the safest way to add a little more work would be to run easy on a cross-training day for equivalent time or a little less. An extra easy run day will also help develop and preserve your endurance, but the most important thing is to line up healthy and fresh.
Some plans do continue to build the long run right up to 2wks before the race, but this strategy can leave you inadequately recovered for the race. Especially if the long run is over 2h, and you are a new runner, the risk is greater. Keep a good log of how you feel as you train, next time you may decide to try a different (or similar) training approach based on how it goes this time around.
I've done programs (ultra) where longest long run is about 5 weeks out and last long run is 3 wks out. In your case, the longest long run is about the duration that you're expecting your race to be (2.5hrs), using run walk. Your last 2 long runs are run only for about 1:45 and 1 hr - 2 wks out and 1 wk, respectively.
Tapering refers to a reduction of volume, but usually keeping the intensity - anywhere from 1 to 3 wks out. The long run may be reduced during that time also.
Thanks for the replies! I will stick with plan and add a little to the weekday run depending on how I feel.